Canon
孤高の映画詩人ブレッソンの表現が精神の極みへと向って行く姿勢は、このごく初期の作品にも端的に見られる。それは悩み深き若い司祭を主人公にしているという表層からでなく、その懊悩を突き放すように客体化する、怜悧なまでの映像の力によって痛感させられるのだ。田舎司祭を取り巻く人々の聖と俗に揺れる姿が、彼の信仰にどう関わり、彼が自らどのような答えを出して行くかが、正に日記を綴る描写を挿し挟みながらスケッチされて行くが、彼は次第に懐疑的にならざるをえなくなり、健康をも害してしまう。ブレッソンのどの映画を見てもそうだが、描写の余りの潔癖さに、他のイメージに置き換えながら(詰まり自分流の翻訳をしつつ)見たくなるほど、純度の高い映画だ。
<allcinema>
General Counsel
For fun and to dazzle his wife, the novelist Morgan steals a ring and gets rid of it in the costume jewelry section of a supermarket. Sophie buys the diamond, which forces the novelist to embark on crazy adventures to recover the jewel.
L'avocat de Vincent
A scientist who have discovered how to turn salt water into petrol dies before he has revealed his formula. By mistake it's assumed that his assistant knows it although he does not.
A prestigious Paris doctor is tempted by a woman he knew in his youth, whose politician husband has neglected her.But will he in turn neglect his duties toward work and family?
A young woman is in love with a young writer, winner of the Prix Goncourt. Married to a banker, she must face her husband's anger and the blackmail of a former suitor.
Abandoned by her husband Marc, Thérèse Romanay cheats on him with André Norans. When Romanay finds out, he drives her away. She runs away with her lover. But, during a mountain excursion, Norans is killed and Thérèse is herself seriously injured. But she recovers. The husband then forgives the unfaithful wife, and the couple reunites.
Le directeur de l'hôtel (uncredited)
As playboys cannot pay their debts anymore,their creditors suggest one of them marry a millionaire's daughter.
To inherit from his late uncle, Narcisse Pigeon is obliged to pass his pilot's license.
La Venus D'Or (Golden Venus) was based on Business, a play by Pierre Sabatier. Mirielle Balin stars as Judith, the mistress of ruthless oil magnate Harfstrong (Jacques Copeau). What Harfstrong doesn't know is that Judith is a spy for his hated business rival. When he does find out, he cannot get rid of her because she knows too much about his own crooked dealings. After several more reels of mutual betrayal and recriminations, the story suddenly shifts to the "good" characters, clean-limned young pilot Andre (Daniel Lecourtois) and his sweetheart Michelle (Andree Giuze). Set up as a fall guy for the villains, Andre somehow emerges from the experience none the worse for wear.
The tailors Moïse and Salomon Lévy decide to marry Mina, Salomon's daughter to a good match, to save themselves from the competition that Cohen makes for them. Mina will eventually succeed in marrying Pierre, from a marriage of love, without this harming the family business.
Himself
Three successive sketches: Sacha Guitry successively calls Pauline Carton, Gaston Severin and Paul Pauley by telephone, to invite them to the Ambassadors gala dinner.